Internal combustion engine



July 12, 1932. H, GEHRES 1,866,703

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 26. 1930 10 3 17 a .1 f: I; l M

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4 ATTORNEYS Patented l2,

UNITED: STATES PATENT o Fi-ca HEWITT A. GEHRES, OF MOUNT VERNON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO OOOPER-BESSEMER COB- PORATION, OF MOUNT VERNON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Application filed July 26,

of flame propagation and that this is greatly enhanced by turbulence of the combustion gases. However, this turbulence should be as uniform as possible and free from localized eddies.

Also in engines where fuel in ect on is used, as in the Diesel type the creatlon of turbulence serves the additional function of providing means for effectively and efliciently mixing the injection fuel with the amount of air necessary to produce the desired com- I bustion mixture, whether the .air and fuel 39 are admitted to the combustion chamber together or separately.

Furthermore, in internal combustion engines in which any degree of turbulence is provided, solid particles, resulting as prodlots of combustion, become lodged between the valve seats and valve member,-thereby preventing proper closing of the valves and additionally resulting in pitting or scoring oi the valve member and valve seat thereby causing loss of power; in some cases this be.-' ing accelerated and proving extremely harmful and costly to operation and malntenance.

An object of this inventlon is to provlde means for obtaining the above desired characteristics and for obviating the above disadvantages. j

The invention consists in the novel features, arrangements and combinations of parts embodied by way of example in the apparatus hereinafter described, as illustrating preferred forms of the invention, and the invention willbe more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is'a view looking upwardly, as indicated by arrows 1- 1 in Fig. 2 and 1930. Serial No. 470,877.

showing the arrangement of the valves and related structure of the cylinder head;

Fig. 2 is a section in elevation, taken at 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a developed section in elevation taken along the cutting circle AB-CD- 'E F GHI of Fig. 1; and.

Fig. 4- is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modification.

Referring to the drawing illustrating a 00 present preferred form. of the invention, a cylinder is designated as 1 and is provided with a cylinderv bore 2. A cylinder head 3 is suitably attachedthereto and is provided with a base 4 in cooperative registration with 05 the bore 2 and a suitable cylinder head'gasket such as 5 may be provided if desired. Intake and exhaust valve openings 6 and 7 respectively are provided in the cylinder head, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are integral 7o therewith and are provided respectively with valve seats -8 and 9. Intake and exhaust valve members 10 and 11 are respectively provided for cooperative seating engagement with said valve seats and are adapted to be opened and closed in operative timed relation, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. I

I Since the present embodiment of the invention illustrates an engine of the fuel inso jection type, a suitable fuel injection means is more or less diagrammatically illustrated as 12, and while this is illustrated as a central injection plug Valve, it is to be understood, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, that other forms offuel injection are contemplated as falling within the scope of the embodiment illustrated.

Extending inwardly 0f the combustion spaceis a shroud 13 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3). This shroudis positioned contiguous to and ly-' ing on one side of the valve opening 6 and projects inwardlyof the combustion chain-- ber preferably beyond the innermost point of the -valve member 10 when the valve is in the valve member 10. It will be seen from Fig. 3 that the shroud permits a free passage for the intake gas, which in the present embodiment is air, and serves to deflect the intake gas in a direction in general tangential to the cylinder bore and downwardly in the combustion chamber; the valve member -10- and its cooperating valve seat 8; and the shroud 13 serving jointly to directthe intake gas in a direction transverse of the axis of the valve member10 and in general tangentially and downwardly in the combustion chamber; thereby serving to set up a whirling motion of the gases within the combustion chamber. This causes an increased and improved atomization of the combustion mixture and accordingly serves to homogeneously disperse the injected fuel entering through the in jection means 12 so as to produce an explosive mixture in which the particles of fuel are finely dispersed, while at the same time creating the desired turbulence to speed up flame propagation. It will be noted in this con nection that the shroud provides for a circumferential and unrestricted valve opening, which is an important feature.

A ramp 15 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) is provided intermediate the valves and is inclined inwardly of the combustion chamber as from B to C, the point C being preferably at the same level as the innermost projection of the shroud 13. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the ramp 15 and the shroud 13 are formed integral with the cylinder head.

The ramp is in arcuate form and serves to direct the whirling gases away from the intake valve and to thereby prevent the solid products of combustion from being deposited between the valve 10 and seat 8. Diametrically opposite the ramp 15 is a similar ramp 16 also positioned intermediate the valves and inclined inwardly of the combustion space from the point F to the point G; the point G being disposed in the same level as the point C of ramp 15 and extending inwardly of the combustion chamber beyond the lowermost point of the valve member 11 when the exhaust valve is in open position. Similarly the ramp 16 serves to deflect the whirling gases in the combustion chamber downwardly and prevents the solid products of combustion from becoming lodged between the valve member 11 and its cooperating seat 9. In the present embodiment the rise of each of the ramps is completed in aboutof are, although this of course may be varied as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

It will thus be seen that all of the air entering the inlet valve from the ramp side is constrained to flow in the same direction as air entering from the opposite side, and accordingly all of the air entering the inlet valve in any position on the circumference serves to produce within the combustion chamber a rotary whirling action devoid of eddies. Also the particular form of ramps employed is such as to interpose the least possible resistance tov the rotary flow or whirling action of the air over the gradual incline 'of the ramp surfaces. I

- seat member 17 may be held in position in any desired manner, such for example as by means ofthe valve cage 18 which holds the member 17 rigidly seated as at 19. Similarly a removable valve seat member 20 is provided for the exhaust valve and is similarly held in position. Corresponding parts of the structure in Fig. 4 are designated by the same numerals utilized in connection with Fig. 3 with the addition of the suflix prime it being understood that the position and construction of the ramps 15 and 16' of F ig. 4 are similar in all respects to those illustrated in Fig. 3, with the exception of the modifications above described.

Having thus described my invention with particularity with reference to its preferred form, and having illustrated one modification thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understandin my invention,

that other changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I aim in the appended claims to cover such changes and modifications as arejwithin the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine of the class described, having a valve seat, a valve member cooperating with said seat, a shroud projecting inwardly ofthe combustion chamberand disposed at one side of said valve seat and adapted to direct the intake gas passing through the valve transversely toward the opposite side of said valve seat, said shroud affording substantially full valve opening space between it and the valve member when the latter is in open position.

2. In an internal combustion engine of the class described, having a cylinder head and a valve seat, a valve member cooperating with said seat, means projecting inwardly from said cylinder head for setting up a whirl of the gases within the cylinder, and an inclined ramp adjacent said valve seat adapted to guide the whirling stream of gases away from the valve seat.

3. In an internal combustion engine of the class described, having a cylinder head and a valve seat, a valve member cooperating with said seat, means projecting inwardly from said cylinder head for setting up a whirl of the gases within the cylinder and for shielding said valve seat from said whirling stream of gases.

4. In an internal combustion engine of the class described the combination of, a combustion chamber having an intake Valve opening, a valve member for closing said opening, and a shroud contiguous to said opening and extending circumferentially for a part only of the distance around said opening and projecting into the said combustion chamber, said opening, said valve and said shroud being so formed and positioned as to provide a free circumferential path for intake gas and to deflect said gas in a direction generally tangential to the said combustion chamber to thereby cause a whirling movement of the combustion gases.

5. In an internal combustion engine of the class described the combination of, a combustion chamber having an intake valve opening, a valve member for closing said opening, a shroud contiguous to said opening and extending circumferentially for a part only of the distance aroundsaid opening and projecting into the said combustion chamber, said opening, said valve and said shroud being so formed and positioned as to provide a free circumferential path for intake gas and to deflect said gas in a direction generally tangential to the said combustion chamber-to thereby cause a whirling movement of the combustion gases, and a ramp extending in the direction of said whirl and inclined inwardly of said combustion chamher to a point approximately at the level of the innermost end of said shroud and terminating contiguous thereto.

' 6. In an internal combustion engine of the class described the combination of, a removable valve seat member having a valve opening and provided with a shroud rigidly formed therewith and projecting inwardly of the combustion chamber and disposed at one side of said valve seat, a valve member.

cooperating with said seat, said shroud being so formed and positioned as to afiordsubstantially full valve opening space between it and the valve member when the latter is in open position. J X

7. In an internal combustion engine of the class described, having an inlet valve seat and an exhaust valve seat, an inlet valve member and an exhaust valve member cooperating respectively with said seats, means for setting up a whirl of the gases within the cylinder, a ramp positioned intermediate the inlet and exhaust openings and inclined inwardly of the combustion chamber in the direction of said whirl with the innermost end of said ramp lying adjacent to said exhaust opening, and a second ramp positioned intermediate said exhaust and inlet openings and inclined inwardly of thecombustion chamber to adjacent the inlet valve opening. I i

8. In an internal combustion engine of the class described the combination of, a cylinder head, having valve openings formed in diametrically opposite sides thereof, valve members cooperating respectively with said valve openings, diametrically opposed ramps positioned in said cylinder head andlocated respectively intermediate said valve openings, said ramps each being inclined inwardly from said cylinder head in the same circumferential direction and the innermost portions of said ramps terminating adjacent respective valve openings, and means for causing a whirling motion of the combustion gases in the general direction of theinward inclination of said ramps.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 

